Creative Aging Memphis

Nonprofit Issues:

Arts & Culture

Address:

200 Jefferson Ave. Ste 707MemphisTN38103USA

Mission:

Creative Aging Mid-South improves quality of life for Mid-South seniors by providing access to experiences in the arts.
We accomplish that by hiring local professional artists to perform and teach seniors in nursing homes, retirement communities, adult day programs and senior centers, ensuring that even the frailest seniors maintain an enriching connection to the arts.

Results:

Since beginning programming in 2005, Creative Aging has presented more than 5,000 performances and art-making workshops at long-term care and retirement communities, senior centers, and adult daycare programs. In doing so, we have paid more than $725,000 in performance fees to Memphis artists, and brought the arts alive for 30,000 seniors.

Target demographics:

seniors continue to have access to the arts where they live

Direct beneficiaries per year:

more than 6,000 seniors at 50+ residential communities in the Mid-South

GreatNonprofits News

Reviews for Creative Aging Memphis

Creative Aging is a wonderful organization that I've been privileged to work with for the past 10 years.
It affords me the experience of working with diverse groups of seniors, and connecting with them in a very personal, even intimate, way. The best shows are when I feel a deep connection being made between those listening and the music. Sometimes they will sing, or just move with their own particular styling and it's rather thrilling to see it, feel it, and be a part of it. I think the residents of these senior facilities are being provided a look at their past lives & loves & passions; presenting music is a very real way of connecting these dots, as music is so reminiscent of earlier times, so nostalgic, and also
spiritual in its own way. I'm thankful for these times of sharing, and I can only hope I am getting better at it as I age. It's such fun to share with these folks. They inspire me to nurture.

Was this review helpful?

Share this review:

1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
November 4, 201211/04/2012

I began to play piano for Creative Aging in 2005 or so. Some of my most fulfilling times have been entertaining the clients/senior that it serves. From retirement homes to alzheimer centers, and every venue in between, it is sheer joy and delight to entertain these folks with special needs, most of whom are homebound a great deal of the time. Creative Aging does marvelous things in providing different types of art experiences for older people. It brings stimulation, aesthetics, & vitality to lots of people that need it, and thrive because of it. I feel very blessed and thankful to be a part of this wonderful non-profit called Creative Aging. Diana Stein

Creative Aging not only enhances the lives of so many seniors in our community but also supports so many individual artists in the community by using them for all the programming presented in the senior citizen facilities, community centers and other venues that they service.

Bringing access to the arts to our seniors is a great mission. I love being a part of this great organization.

Was this review helpful?

Share this review:

1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
May 21, 201205/21/2012

Creative Aging provides access to the arts for seniors. I have observed how the performers interact with the audience and watched in awe as the audience comes alive when an old favorite song is performed. I have enjoyed being a part of this organization and seeing the positive reactions from our seniors.

Creative Aging fills a unique role in the community and they do it well. They brighten and enrich the lives of seniors by bringing arts performances and arts participation experiences to assisted living communities and other locations where seniors gather. I've seen firsthand how this makes a difference in the lives of people they serve. It also supports the artist community in the Memphis area. As Joe Birch would say about Creative Aging, it's a win/win for all involved.

I believe in non-profits. They do the work that everyone says needs to be done. Non-profits take the ideas, recruit the volunteers, roll-up sleeves and get down to business. Creative Aging Memphis is one of those non-profits. The unique thing is they actually serve two diverse communities: seniors and artists. In what I think is a brilliant idea, Creative Aging figured out how to educate, entertain and involve seniors by hiring artists, including musicians, dancers, singers, potters, story-tellers, painters and more. The two groups need each other in order to grow, thrive and maybe even survive. And Creative Aging puts them together. I am thrilled to work with, volunteer for, and support wholly, Creative Aging Memphis. I am proud that Memphis is a city full of seniors and artists, all of whom we need, and through Creative Aging, we also cherish.

Was this review helpful?

Share this review:

1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
July 30, 201207/30/2012

We need so many things in life: food and shelter for the body, love and art for the soul. We need them when we are young and it doesn't stop when we are old. The wonderful thing is, no matter what the age, Creative Aging Memphis provides love and art for the soul and helps provide food and shelter for the body. Our musicians and artists come in all sizes and ages. Working for Creative Aging helps pay some of their bills. Working with Creative Aging exposes them to a world of love and gratitude. Then there are the seniors who get a chance to sing, dance, draw or just dream after a visit from these musicians and artists. Their world becomes a little bigger and a whole lot brighter. Creative Aging Memphis gives everyone, entertainers and seniors alike, a chance to live and live well, no matter what their age.

Will you tell others about this organization?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

It is proven that stimulation through the arts including music, dance, written word, crafts and other arts provide seniors with cognitive stimulation and growth. Creative Aging benefits both area artist and seniors by paying professional performers and educators to provide arts programs in confined elder communities. Everyone in the mix benefits as artist reach a new audience that might not otherwise be able to enjoy these performances. The reaction of both the seniors and the artist are amazing to see. Creative Aging is people helping people to enjoy an more healthy and invigorating life.

Creative Aging does an excellent job promoting the health of older adults through its arts programming for seniors. The musical performances entertain the senior audiences but more importantly, they evoke responses that are essential the the seniors' emotional, cognitive and physical well-being. Over the last 10 years I have consistently been impressed by their services and impact.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?

How much of an impact do you think this organization has?

Will you recommend this organization to others?

Definitely

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

2014

Was this review helpful?

Share this review:

1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
October 17, 201210/17/2012

When well known musicians perform for older adults who feel isolated in residential facilities, everyone benefits. The older adults feel like they are still a part of the larger community, that their need to experience the arts is as important as anyone else's. And, the artists benefit both from the extra income and their interactions with their audiences. Creative Aging is good for Memphis seniors and artists!

How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?

How much of an impact do you think this organization has?

Will you recommend this organization to others?

Definitely

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

2012

Was this review helpful?

Share this review:

1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
June 19, 201206/19/2012

CAM provides an invaluable service to seniors in the midsouth by providing musical performances and creative workshops. It is well proven that engagement with the arts makes lives happier and better. It's a wonderful experience to attend a performance and see the interaction between the artist(s) and participants/audience.

Looking into the eyes of a senior adult who is mesmerized by music is a small taste of heaven. Bringing the arts to those who can no longer access those once enjoyed activities is what Creative Aging does best. Blending the right mix of caring and compassion and orchestrating an event that transports senior adults back to a time that was perhaps more gracious to them brings joy to thousands every year. Whether music artisans or storytellers, senior adults love to reconnect with memories. And watching them make this incredible connection, watching them come alive when they hear an old familiar tune or hear a story that they knew as a child, this wonderment is contagious. I have seen this in action and I am always amazed!

Was this review helpful?

Share this review:

1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
October 16, 201210/16/2012

1 person found this review helpful

We never ever, no matter what age, lose the need for connecting with others. When we struggle cognitively, this becomes more difficult. To watch an older adult connect with others through music and art is unbelievably moving. It is nothing short of a miracle for someone suffering with dementia. When I watch a performance sponsored by Creative Aging and I see this kind of miracle, I am so proud. This is when I know that our mission is being carried out every day!!

Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?

Definitely

How much of an impact do you think this organization has?

Life-changing

Will you tell others about this organization?

Definitely

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

2012

Was this review helpful?

Share this review:

1 previous review

Rating:
5 stars
May 21, 201205/21/2012

We never stop loving the arts..no matter what age. The great feeling that music, story telling, visual arts and other art mediums give us is priceless. Many Senior adults are limited with mobility issues, financial restraints and other issues that keep them from enjoying the above. That is where Creative Aging MidSouth steps in. CAM bridges the gap by providing quality performances and demonstrations to Senior adults. They never have to pay, make reservations or even leave their residence. CAM comes to them. If you could only see their faces, the sparkle in their eyes, the humming along; then you would see why CAM exists.